


Birthday Eve

by boyznoize



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Don’t Let The Tags Scare You, Drunken Kissing, M/M, Non-Consensual Kissing, Period-Typical Sexism, Pre-Canon, Sexist Language, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:15:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29440305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyznoize/pseuds/boyznoize
Summary: “Nothin’ beats havin’ a few drinks and gazin’ at the moon.”Paul helps his best friend through a problem.
Relationships: Darrel Curtis/Paul Holden
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Birthday Eve

**Author's Note:**

> there’s nothing on paul/darry and what a beautiful relationship they probably had so for valentine’s day here’s this cliché one-shot

Nothin’ beats havin’ a few drinks and gazin’ at the moon.

Paul swallows his last gulp of beer. It’s not much, at least not much to him. He looks over to Darry, folded strangely on the lawn chair rocking back and forth looking at the sky with glazed eyes and a grip on his paper bag tighter than hell. It was weird, Paul could always hold his beer much better than Darry despite them being damn near the same weight and build. Could be genes, could be his smoking habits. Either way, Paul’s not surprised when Darry rolls over groaning.

“Easy, Dar.”

Darry met his eyes. “This isn’t helping, man.”

“You’re the one who suggested it.” Paul shot back.

“Yeah, but you’re supposed to talk me out of it.” Darry moaned.

Paul didn’t say anything and shook his head. He set his empty beer down and looked straight ahead. He hates to sound like a sissy but the moon coupled with the stars and reflection of his pool looked nice. Kinda like out of a painting or something. He didn’t plan to do something like this tonight, but man he should do it more. 

Besides the cars outside zooming past the street, it was silent. There’s also Darry’s occasional groans. Paul wasn’t going to get mad at him for it. His folks were out of town for business in Oklahoma City and Darry told his folks he was going over to Paul’s to train and practice some plays. Except that’s not what was supposed to happen.

As if he was waiting for a cue, Darry sets his bottle on the ground, letting out a loud burp. “Why’d she have to leave me.” Paul didn’t look at him. “Why’d she have to leave me today of all days.”

She being Rebecca Davis. Darry’s girlfriend of three months. Or ex-girlfriend. They went in a room during Alan’s Halloween party one night and the rest was history. Darry couldn’t believe but Paul could. He never liked that girl, it was something about the broad that screamed **“whore,”** but Darry insisted he was just being an asshole.

Paul could say ‘I told you so.’, but all he musters out is “I don’t know.”

“I should’ve known when Parker was telling me she was throwing herself at him.” said Darry. “But I just socked him in the gut.”

“Honest mistake.” Paul shrugs, grinning to himself. Darry got suspended for a game because of it, it was sad but also hilarious cause Paul hated Parker.

“Do you think it’s cause I didn’t go visit her during the holidays? ‘Cause she was making a real big fuss about it and it and I wanted to but-“

“Oh, cut the dramatic crap, Dar.” Paul shushed, finally meeting eye level with Darry. You ain’t did nothing wrong.” It takes everything in him to not say what Becky _did_ do wrong.

“I just don’t get it, man. I mean I’m on the football team, I get straight A’s, I don’t yell at or beat chicks, I thought they were into that type of shit.”

“They are.” Paul answered quickly. “C’mon, man, the girls are always all over you.”

“Then why haven’t I found the one?” Darry says, looking up to the sky. “I mean for god’s sake my parents were high school sweethearts, they found each other at fifteen, I turn eighteen tomorrow, what does that say?”

Paul laughed with a wave. “It means you’re fucking crazy.” He gazed from the pool back to Darry. “For Chrissake, Dar, are you really having some mid-life crisis over Becky Davis? She wasn’t even that good looking.”

“It’s not that.” Darry sat up sharply with a bite in his tone. When he meets Paul’s concerned eyes, his demeanor softens. “It’s that, uh… it’s that,” he stammered. “Shit, I don’t know!” he angrily takes another swig of his beer. With the way he was downing that shit, Paul wouldn’t be shocked if that was Darry’s second bottle. “I just wanna know why she dumped me like that.”

“Did she say why?”

“No,” Darry shook his head. “She just called me over the phone sayin’ she wanted to see other people and we weren’t right together an’ all that crap.” What a crock of bullshit that was. Stupid bitch probably got bored with Darry and found another poor guy to fuck with. “Goddamn it, what am I gonna tell the guys tomorrow?”

“Tell them she got hit with a bus.” Paul said. His tone is exactly as bitter as he wanted it.

“I’m serious, P. ‘S’Not right.” Darry went back to that moaning-whining voice.

“Women are complicated, Dar. One day they love you and kissin’ all up on you expecting you to make ‘em a baby and pay for everything then the next day they hate your guts and never wanna speak to you again.” Paul said. “Becky wasn’t an exception. She’s not worth it, man. You’re better than this crap.” Paul gestures his hands out to Darry’s folded, disheveled body. “It’s pathetic. Sitting here with me getting shitfaced like a drunken Irish bastard during happy hour when we can be out picking up new broads at the strip down by Jay’s, huh?”

Darry held his gaze with Paul for what felt like eternity until he broke out into a wide grin, looking away. “Fuck you.” It was lighthearted, Paul didn’t mind, even going as far as to return that grin.

“You’re welcome.” he punched Darry on the shoulder.

After Darry’s fit of giggles died down, he looked over to Paul in curiosity. “Y’know, P, you give some good advice. Why don’t you got a girl?”

Paul’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why does that matter? You know damn well I’ve had girlfriends before.”

“Yeah, but the last time was last year. Remember? Brenda Stokes? Y’all went out for like two weeks then she moved away.”

Paul remembers Brenda. He laughs through his nose just thinking about her moving away. “Shit happens.”

He leaves it at that. When he realizes Darry’s accepted it as an answer he lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. It’s easy for Darry. He dates because he wants to, not ‘cause he has to. Maybe Paul could get away with it if he was some scrawny, pizza-faced dweeb but it’s more difficult when you’re a linebacker for the football team.

Looking over, he studies the line’s on Darry’s face. Broads were flinging themselves at the two all the time, even going as far to say they look alike with Paul’s blond hair being the one difference. Paul doesn’t see it. He’s older, but Darry looks more mature in the face, and not in the bad way, he probably gets it from his dad, the guy’s a stud, but he can see why people confuse the two. They’re always together, always have been since freshman year, and he’s not mad at it.

Darry might be a greaser but he’s a helluva quarterback and an even better friend. People look at ‘em strange, a greaser and a soc hanging out so much, even Darry’s kid brothers look at him with the funny eye every time he comes over their place, but Paul doesn't mind one bit. He likes his social friends too, but he couldn’t just drop Darry because he’s piss-poor, that ain’t right. Besides it takes one bounced check for Paul’s family to end up in a home like Darry’s. Money’s easy to maintain when there's only three people livin’ in a house.

Suddenly, a loud snore interrupts Paul’s thoughts making him jump. He looked down at his watch – 12:13. Shit, he’s gonna have to call Mr. and Mrs. C and make up some horseshit explanation on why their son isn’t coming home tonight.

Thinking of excuses to make, he slinks out of his chair and bends down slinking his arms under Darry’s, hoisting his friend up.

“Come on, Dar.”

“‘M’not tired.” Darry mumbles.

And shit, maybe he’s telling the truth, ‘cause somehow Darry’s still gripping on that Heineken for dear life. “Give me that,” Paul snatches it away. “You’re gonna spill it everywhere.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Darry rolls his head around, flicking Paul on the chest.

Paul sighed, “Goddamn, you’re gonna end up like my Uncle Mike. They named the lemonade after him.”

That made Darry laugh, which Paul would feel glad about if it didn’t make them almost stumble down the stairs.

“Damn it, Darry, can you take it easy?”

“Not my fault you made me laugh.” Darry slurred. He looked around the hallways. “Where’re you takin’ me?”

“To the guest room.” His older brother’s room.

Darry’s face scrunched. “What? Why not your room?”

“Because if you get puke all over my room I’m gonna kill you?”

“I’m not gonna puke.” Darry says, but by the way he’s swaying from side to side, Paul begs to differ.

When they finally arrive to Paul’s door, accentuated snugly with a Golden Hurricanes pennant, Paul stops Darry and gives him a once over. “You promise not to puke your guts out everywhere?”

Darry lazily raised his left hand. “I promise.”

“And if you do puke your guts out everywhere I have every single right to clobber the living shit outta you?”

Darry rolled his eyes, grinning. “Promise.”

Paul sighed as he turned away and twisted the doorknob open, letting himself in then letting Darry in. Darry begins to stumble in, then trips on his feet, causing him and Paul to crash land on to Paul’s bed.

“Shit, Darry!” he curses. That’s what he gets for letting go of a drunkard for just five seconds.

“Sorry.” Darry mumbled.

Paul looked down to finally notice that Darry was literally on top of him. He tries to push Darry, but Darry doesn’t budge. “Darry, get off of me.”

“You look good in this light, y’know that?”

Paul froze. Darry kept staring at him.

“What did you say?”

“I said you look good in this light,” Darry repeated.

Paul waited, expecting a ‘just kidding’, a ‘gotcha’, a fit of laughter, fuck just something, but it never came. Darry just kept looking at him with that blank stare on his face. Paul let out a very weak laugh. “Man, you’re so fucked up you’re talking sissy talk, anybody looks good in this light now get up–“

“I mean it.” Darry deadpanned. “Becky never looked good like this.”

“Darry, just go to bed, we got school tomor–“

Paul couldn’t finish his sentence when a pair of lips pressed against his own, with the taste of malt overcoming in his mouth with such bitter flavor.

_Oh fuck._

Paul can feel himself almost suffocating for a second. He’s forgotten how to breathe, and right now how the hell can he remember? Darry’s moving his mouth slowly and gently against Paul’s, a rhythm smoother than Paul could’ve ever expected from a rough giant like Darry. He could’ve tried to push Darry off, really he could have, but him and Darry are the same strength, it’d be no use. That and Paul didn’t want him to stop.

God, he couldn’t be any happier his parents are out of town he Darry hoists his legs up to his waist and he grabs a fistful of that brown hair, grinding against best friend and creating a hot friction between them.

Shit, this ain’t right. It ain’t. Paul goes to church, he knows better, but everybody’s got their sins, right? It’d be useless for Jesus to die if humans didn’t sin, yes? Hell, the pastor got caught cheating on his wife during their missionary trip to Sudan, what’s different about this?

Suddenly his mouth felt lonely as Darry broke free then grazed his lips against Paul’s neck. Darry lightly bites on his pulse and Paul sucks in a sharp breath.

This isn’t taking advantage, right? Darry was the one who technically forced this on Paul, so it's not like Paul is trying to force himself on a drunk man. Shit, it’s so many thoughts and questions running through his mind he almost gets light headed trying to think.

When he hears the sound of his belt crinkling, that’s when Paul comes back to his senses. “Darry, Darry, Darry, stop, stop.” he says quickly.

And surprisingly, Darry does stop immediately. He stops fidgeting with Paul’s belt buckle and meets Paul’s eyes. “What?”

“We don’t gotta do all of that,” Paul breathed out airily, trying to catch his breath. “Let’s just go to bed.”

Darry stares at him for a second, shock slowly reflecting in his eyes when he realizes what he’s doing, then just nods. “You’re right, man. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me, I shouldn’t have done that, I’m not even g–“

“Dar.” Paul interrupts. “It’s cool. I ain’t mad at you.” He can see the shame in Darry’s eyes and he feels it too, just for different reasons. To lighten the mood, he breaks out in a grin. “Just ask next time, will ya?”

Darry matches the grin. “Will do.” He drops next to Paul on the bed, a loud creak erupting when he hits the mattress. “Hey, Paul.”

“Hm?”

“You always got my back, right?”

“Course, Darry.”

“Just making sure.”

A silence filled the room after that. It was a comfortable silence, shouldn’t be but it was. It’s lot of things Paul wanted to ask Darry, wanted to ask himself, but it was so late and school started back up tomorrow, he was just too tired to give a damn.

When he heard a light snore coming from Darry’s side, that was his cue to get up. Shit, it’s so late that his folks were worrying sick about him, Paul figured he should make that call. He’ll tell them traffic is crazy or something like that.

He slowly crept out of his bed, grabbing Darry’s bottle to make sure his parents don’t come home to see he was drinking.

When he takes a swig of the beer, he notices it tastes funny. He tastes it again, smacking on his teeth to make sure he was tasting it right. Paul’s eyes widened when he finally understood.

Holy shit.

_Darry was drinking water._


End file.
